White House: King’s immigration quip ‘unfortunate’

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (AP) — The White House says a Republican congressman’s comment about the achievements of young immigrants in the U.S. illegally is extremely unfortunate.

Rep. Steve King of Iowa has come under attack for telling a conservative news website that “for every one who’s a valedictorian, there’s another 100 out there that weigh 130 pounds and they’ve got calves the size of cantaloupes because they’re hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert.”

White House spokesman Jay Carney says many people found King’s comments offensive. He says those comments don’t help Republicans improve their political standing among Hispanics.

Obama’s senior adviser, Dan Pfeiffer, wrote on Twitter that every Republican should condemn King for comparing the youth to drug mules. He says immigrant youth represent what’s great about the U.S.

A number of prominent House Republicans, including Speaker John Boehner of Ohio and Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia, have already condemned King’s remark.